Chapter 394: The Advertising Pitch

Procter & Gamble’s Shanghai office.

Someone knocked on the meeting room door.

Head & Shoulders brand manager Jiang Peng stepped in.

Following him was another person, likely the director Sia.

“Let me introduce her. This is our brand director, Sun Yashi, or Sia.”

Sun Yashi looked under forty, older than Nie Fei.

She was slim with a gentle face, her smile mixing warmth with sharp professionalism.

In work, she probably led with a style that was firm yet flexible.

Xu Chen, Nie Fei, and Gu Xinxi had already stood up.

Sun Yashi began:

“Just call me Sia.”

Her smile was warm, but her tone carried a cool edge.

Jiang Peng walked over and took the lead in introductions:

“This is Nie Fei from East Morning Star Advertising, Nie Fei as the head.”

Surprisingly, he started with Nie Fei.

Nie Fei glanced at Xu Chen, a hint of awkwardness in her eyes.

But she quickly regained her confident, take-charge vibe, shaking Sun Yashi’s hand and exchanging polite greetings.

In front of Procter & Gamble’s director, the formidable ‘Fei Jie’ showed no signs of backing down…

Sun Yashi exchanged a few polite words with Nie Fei, clearly viewing her as the director or owner of East Morning Star Advertising.

She saw the young man and woman behind Nie Fei as her team members.

Nie Fei turned with a smile and properly introduced:

“This is the founder of East Morning Star Advertising and our executive creative director, Xu Chen, or President Xu.”

“Today, for the Head & Shoulders and Xie Bingran project, President Xu is leading the discussions.”

“……”

As her words settled, Sun Yashi and Jiang Peng both paused in surprise.

Sun Yashi looked up at Xu Chen, her eyes showing clear astonishment.

She felt puzzled and glanced at Jiang Peng beside her, her expression asking for clarification.

Jiang Peng looked embarrassed, avoiding his boss’s gaze…

He was just as confused about the situation.

This kid, who seemed under twenty, was actually their founder and executive creative director?!

……

Xu Chen remained composed, polite yet self-assured, and smiled as he spoke:

“Hello, Sun, I’m Xu Chen…”

Sun Yashi quickly composed herself, smiling warmly and shaking his hand.

……

Two minutes later, they all exchanged business cards politely.

Sun Yashi checked the titles on Xu Chen and Nie Fei’s cards, still feeling puzzled.

……

Jiang Peng glanced at his boss and stepped in to guide the meeting forward.

“Welcome, colleagues from East Morning Star Advertising…”

“I’ll start by outlining the project background.”

“The Head & Shoulders brand has moved forward with an endorsement deal with Asian Games champion Xie Bingran.”

“We noticed Xie Bingran before the Asian Games.”

“We’ve conducted several consumer surveys, and target users have a high acceptance and liking for her…”

Xu Chen nodded:

“We agree that Head & Shoulders matches Xie Bingran’s image well.”

Jiang Peng smiled and said, “Yes!

So, riding the wave of her Asian Games gold medal, we’ve decided to sign Xie Bingran for Head & Shoulders.”

“The signing process is underway, but it’s already locked in internally and externally…”

“The Sports Administration’s Li Yue recommended East Morning Star Advertising, which led to today’s meeting.”

“This was insisted upon by Li Yue during negotiations with the administration…”

Xu Chen couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

Procter & Gamble clearly respected Li Yue, addressing him as a leader.

It seemed Li Yue had successfully pressured the brand during endorsement talks.

For companies, Li Yue from the Sports Administration was indeed a ‘leader’.

He held official power and key resources, making him dominant in negotiations.

Li Yue was skilled at maneuvering and pressuring others, honed from years in the system.

When Li Yue first visited Tiancheng and discussed Xie Bingran endorsing ‘Ran Bing’ and ‘Chenfeng’ with Xu Chen, he tried to pressure him.

But the prepared ‘young President Xu’ turned the tables.

Later, through events with An Jin Xiong and Chen Jinru, Li Yue’s promotion in the administration, and the Jeep ad project…

Xu Chen had fully secured Li Yue.

Li Yue was wary of Xu Chen and relied on him for key issues, especially communicating with Xie Bingran privately.

After all, the aloof ‘Bing Ge’ only listened to Xu Chen.

That’s why Li Yue pushed East Morning Star Advertising for projects like this.

……

Jiang Peng continued:

“Though Head & Shoulders has a long-term ad agency, since East Morning Star Advertising comes recommended by the administration and Li Yue, we’re open to it.”

“For Xie Bingran’s endorsement ad, if your proposal is excellent and fits, we’re willing to move forward.”

Xu Chen didn’t respond, just smiled and nodded.

Jiang Peng paused briefly, then smiled and added:

“Li Yue only recommended East Morning Star Advertising without much detail.”

“So, we’re not very familiar with your company’s situation.”

……

Gu Xinxi had the company intro documents ready; she glanced at Xu Chen, unsure if she should speak first.

Xu Chen signaled to Nie Fei with his eyes.

Nie Fei understood and took charge for East Morning Star Advertising, smiling as she said:

“Here’s the thing…”

“East Morning Star Advertising has ongoing, stable collaborations with the State Athletics Team and Xie Bingran herself.”

“Handling her endorsement ads will make communication and production smoother…”

“Li Yue probably considered this when recommending us.”

Nie Fei’s words were straightforward and made perfect sense.

……

As Nie Fei finished, Sun Yashi frowned slightly.

She exchanged a look with Jiang Peng.

Sun Yashi was naturally resistant to the administration recommending East Morning Star Advertising.

It was similar to the Jeep situation.

Head & Shoulders had long-term ties with international agency Ogilvy Advertising and looked down on local firms.

Especially this East Morning Star Advertising, which they’d never heard of.

But due to the administration and Li Yue, they had to meet…

Nie Fei’s comments confirmed Sun Yashi’s suspicions.

East Morning Star Advertising seemed like a ‘connected’ firm, basically forced on them by Li Yue.

Working with the system often meant dealing with such favors.

As a foreign company operating in China, Procter & Gamble knew the ins and outs.

Sun Yashi glanced at the young ‘President Xu’ across from her.

She wondered if he was some ‘second-generation’ with internal connections…

That would explain the recommendation.

Luckily, in negotiations with Li Yue, they hadn’t committed fully.

Li Yue just suggested East Morning Star Advertising join, but the final call was theirs…

Sun Yashi looked at the three business cards on the table and lost some interest.

Out of respect for the administration and Li Yue, they’d continue the meeting.

They could reject it later by saying the proposal didn’t fit.

But it meant wasting time on several rounds of talks.

Including today, she wanted to wrap this up quickly.

……

Nie Fei didn’t overthink it and continued:

“We’ve prepared a company and case introduction…”

She glanced at Gu Xinxi.

Gu Xinxi nodded and set up her laptop.

Jiang Peng quickly got up to connect the projector screen.

Sun Yashi might have been growing impatient inside, but she stayed polite on the surface.

……

Gu Xinxi opened the PPT, cleared her throat, and began the presentation step by step…

The company’s PPT was newly made, covering East Morning Star Advertising’s capabilities and key case studies.

The layout, designed by Sun Aimi, was sleek and sophisticated.

It had a real ‘creative agency’ feel.

It looked quite professional.

As Gu Xinxi explained, Sun Yashi turned and whispered to Jiang Peng.

……

……

When Gu Xinxi reached the ‘Afraid of Getting Heated, Drink Wang Laoshun’ case, Sun Yashi suddenly paused.

She had been hiding her impatience but now looked closely at the screen.

“Afraid of Getting Heated” was a case Sun Yashi knew well.

This year, Wang Laoshun’s marketing campaign had become a widely discussed classic in the industry.

Wang Laoshun Herbal Tea went from a local Guangdong Province brand to a national hit.

In sales, it was nearing the top three beverages, right behind the two cola giants.

Many in the field saw pushing Wang Laoshun to national prominence as a marketing miracle.

While regular consumers might not grasp its brilliance, Sun Yashi, with her marketing experience, knew it was expert work.

The precise product positioning and deep consumer insights were no accident.

In Sun Yashi’s view, “Afraid of Getting Heated” was one of the top effective ads in recent years.

It was household famous and boosted sales and market share.

Even last month in a Procter & Gamble internal training, Sun Yashi had analyzed it as a classic.

Yet…

This ad was done by East Morning Star Advertising?!

Sun Yashi looked at the three across from her, still finding it hard to believe.

……

As Gu Xinxi moved to the next slide, Sun Yashi couldn’t help but interrupt:

“The Wang Laoshun Herbal Tea project this year was impressive.”

“I didn’t realize it was your company’s work.”

“Especially that ‘Afraid of Getting Heated’ slogan…”

“Was it from Nie Fei or your creative director?”

Nie Fei smiled and glanced at Xu Chen:

“The ‘Afraid of Getting Heated’ slogan came from our President Xu.”

“……”

Sun Yashi turned to Xu Chen, frowning in surprise.

She pondered for a moment but said nothing.

Xu Chen kept his expression steady, just smiling without responding.

From Sun Yashi’s look just now, Xu Chen sensed her clear disbelief.

She didn’t think the ‘Afraid of Getting Heated’ ad came from this twenty-something kid…

She even suspected this company might have borrowed someone else’s cases for their PPT…

Some local ad firms did that to boast.

……

Seeing no more questions, Gu Xinxi flipped to the next slide and continued.

Next, she briefly covered the Fuyan Jie and HuiShuang Shenbao cases.

These were this year’s infamous ‘earworm’ ads, known nationwide.

They were still airing widely on TV.

The ongoing broadcasts proved their positive impact on sales.

Sun Yashi and Jiang Peng exchanged looks again, their expressions turning odd.

Nie Fei furrowed her brow slightly.

She read the distrust in their attitudes and glances.

Clearly, Sun Yashi and Jiang Peng didn’t believe these ads were East Morning Star Advertising’s work.

Nie Fei glanced at Xu Chen, who remained calm and relaxed.

But she knew the clever ‘young President Xu’ had already picked up on their skepticism, even the malice.

……

On the screen now was the recently launched Kunlunshan Mineral Water ad case.

The main poster featured endorser Xie Bingran holding Kunlunshan Mineral Water.

In just days, this poster and the water had spread across supermarkets nationwide.

……

Sun Yashi narrowed her eyes and couldn’t help but say with a smile:

“This ad is yours too?”

Her tone carried a hint of sarcasm.

Xu Chen and Nie Fei felt the shift in atmosphere but stayed silent.

Gu Xinxi:

“Yes.”

“Not just the ad—even the Kunlunshan Mineral Water product name was our President Xu’s idea.”

Sun Yashi let out a light, dismissive laugh.

She said with a teasing edge:

“With cases like these, President Xu must be one of China’s top ad pros!”

“I can’t believe I’ve never heard of you…”

……